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How much cash is covered by contents insurance in Germany?

In short

How much cash is covered depends on your policy. Outside a safe, contents insurance (Hausratversicherung) in Germany pays EUR 500 to 4,000 after burglary, robbery or fire in the policy terms we checked, often EUR 1,000 to 2,000. If the money was in a certified safe, a much higher limit applies. Anything above the limit and pickpocketing without force are not covered.

How much cash is covered by contents insurance in Germany?

What it costs

Cash limits from published policy terms and tariff overviews, not premiums.

ExampleTypical range
Older set of terms, cash outside a safeEUR 500
Terms from 2025, basic and higher tariffEUR 1,500 and EUR 2,000
Tariff overview 2025, three tariffs outside a safeEUR 1,000, 2,000 and 4,000
Same overview, cash in a certified safeup to 20 or 50 percent of the sum insured
Same overview, cash away from homeEUR 250, 3,000 and 5,000

As of November 2026.

The limits come from the linked policy terms.

The common range of EUR 1,000 to 2,000 is a guide value from our quoting practice.

Only your own policy terms are decisive.

Worked example

Cash for a car purchase in a chest of drawers

Sum insured EUR 52,000, limit for cash outside a safe EUR 1,500. Burglars force the door and take EUR 8,000 from a chest of drawers and jewellery worth EUR 1,200.

Cash stolenEUR 8,000
Of which replaced, limit outside a safeEUR 1,500
Jewellery, within the valuables limitEUR 1,200
With a certified safe from 20 percent (EUR 10,400)EUR 8,000 cash replaced

Without a safe the household gets EUR 2,700 and bears EUR 6,500 itself. In a certified safe the cash would have been replaced in full.

Where the limit is set

Cash is part of your household contents, but counts as a valuable (Wertsache). The model terms of the German insurance association GDV (VHB 2022) set two limits for this: one for all valuables together and a lower one for cash that is not kept in a locked certified safe (Wertschutzschrank). The association leaves the figures open, and each insurer fills them in.

In the policy terms we read for this page, the limit for cash outside a safe ranges from EUR 500 in an older set of terms to EUR 4,000 in the top tariff of a current overview. EUR 1,000 to 2,000 is common. A drawer, a shoebox or a cash box does not count as a safe.

Where the cash is keptLimit in the policy terms checked
Loose in the flat, basic tariffEUR 500 to 1,500
Loose in the flat, higher tariffEUR 2,000 to 4,000
In a certified safe20 to 50 percent of the sum insured
Away from home, cover outside the homeEUR 250 to 5,000 depending on tariff
Stolen from a car or at workexpressly not covered in one set of terms checked

What counts as a safe

The higher limit only applies if the money was in a locked safe certified by a recognised testing body. Free standing safes must have a minimum weight, 200 kilograms in one set of terms we read. Lighter safes must be firmly anchored as the manufacturer specifies or built into a wall or floor.

A small cash box or a furniture safe without a certificate is not enough. Ask before you buy which class your policy requires.

When the insurer pays and when not

The insurer pays if the money is stolen in a burglary, taken in a robbery or destroyed by fire or escaping water. Robbery (Raub) means the thief uses force or threatens to. If your wallet is slipped out of your bag without any resistance, that is simple theft or trick theft and not covered.

Away from home only the cover outside the home (Außenversicherung) applies, and it has its own, often lower limits for cash. In one set of terms we read, cash stolen from a car or at the workplace is fully excluded, and cash stolen from a hospital room is limited to EUR 100 or 200.

If you are used to paying in cash

Cash is still common in Germany, and some people moving here keep more at home than they would elsewhere, for example for a deposit or while a bank account is being set up. The insurance limits do not change for that, so large sums at home are a real gap.

Policy terms are usually only in German. Look for the words Wertsachen, Bargeld and Entschädigungsgrenzen to find the relevant section.

When you do not need to change anything

If you keep only a few hundred euros at home for daily needs, the usual limit is enough. A higher limit or a certified safe is only worth it if you regularly keep larger sums at home.

If you plan a cash purchase, for example a car, collect the money as late as possible. A few days with several thousand euros in a chest of drawers are enough to exceed any usual limit.

Step by step

  1. Find the section on valuables and payout limits in your policy terms.
  2. Note the limit for cash outside a certified safe.
  3. Check how much cash you usually keep at home.
  4. If it is more, take money to the bank, buy a safe or raise the limit.
  5. After a burglary call the police at once and prove the amount, ideally with a bank statement.

Checklist

  • Cash limit outside a safe known
  • Safe certified and heavy enough or firmly anchored
  • Proof of cash withdrawals kept
  • Limit for cash away from home known
  • Large cash sums only at home for a short time

Common mistakes

  • Treating a locked drawer or cash box as a safe
  • Reporting pickpocketing without force to your contents insurer and hoping for a payout
  • Keeping cash for a purchase at home for days
  • Being unable to prove how much cash you had

Questions and answers

Frequently asked

Do I have to prove how much cash was stolen?

Yes, you must make the loss credible.

Bank statements showing the withdrawal, receipts and witnesses help.

Is money on a payment card also covered?

Under the model terms yes, money loaded onto cards or data carriers counts as cash and shares the

same limit.

Does contents insurance pay if my wallet is stolen on the train?

Only in a robbery, meaning the thief uses force or threatens to.

Pickpocketing without resistance is not covered.

Are collector coins cash?

No.

Coins worth more than their face value count as valuables like jewellery under the model terms,

with their own limit.

Can I raise the cash limit?

With many insurers through a higher tariff or an extra agreement.

Ask what difference it makes to the premium.

Is cash covered in a fire?

Yes, fire is a covered peril.

The limit for cash outside a safe still applies.

Sources

NAMMERT insurance broker

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